- Myanmar: Critics of army rule stage silent strike against upcoming election
Source: ABC News
“Opponents of military rule in Myanmar staged a joint protest on Wednesday calling on people to stay indoors to show they are boycotting elections scheduled for late this month. They defied harsh legal penalties for attempting to disrupt the polls. … Critics say the Dec. 28 polls will be neither free nor fair and are an effort by the military to legitimize its rule after seizing power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The General Strike Coordination Body, the leading non-violent organization opposing army rule, had urged people to join a ‘silent strike’ on Wednesday. It called on the public to stay inside homes or workplaces from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on International Human Rights Day. The tactic has been used on special occasions since the military takeover. Images on social media showed uncrowded streets in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, and elsewhere.” (12/10/25)
- UK: Archaeologists find earliest known fire made by humans
Source: CNN
“A field in eastern England has revealed evidence of the earliest known instance of humans creating and controlling fire, a significant find that archaeologists say illuminates a dramatic turning point in the human story. In Barnham, Suffolk, the discovery of baked earth that formed a hearth, heat-shattered flint axes and two fragments of pyrite — a type of stone used to create sparks for lighting tinder — indicates that early humans, most likely Neanderthals, were able to make and maintain fires. ‘This is a 400,000-year-old site where we have the earliest evidence of making fire, not just in Britain or Europe, but in fact, anywhere else in the world,’ said Nick Ashton, curator of Palaeolithic collections at the British Museum in a news briefing. … The artifacts uncovered at the site are 350,000 years older than the previous known evidence of fire-making in the archaeological record, which was from a site in northern France.” (12/10/25)
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/10/science/earliest-fire-use-neanderthals
- Sperm donor with cancer-causing gene fathered nearly 200 children across Europe, investigation finds
Source: CBS News
“Sperm from a donor who unknowingly carried a cancer-causing gene has been used to conceive nearly 200 babies across Europe, an investigation by 14 European public service broadcasters, including CBS News’ partner network BBC News, has revealed. Some children conceived using the sperm have already died from cancer, and the vast majority of those who inherited the gene will develop cancer in their lifetimes, geneticists said. The man carrying the gene passed screening checks before he became a donor at the European Sperm Bank when he was a student in 2005. His sperm has been used by women trying to conceive for 17 years across multiple countries.” (12/10/25)
- US regime threatens new ICC sanctions unless court pledges not to prosecute Trump
Source: Reuters
“President Donald Trump’s administration wants the International Criminal Court to amend its founding document to ensure it does not investigate the Republican president and his top officials, a Trump administration official said, threatening new U.S. sanctions on the court if it did not. If the court does not act on this U.S. demand and two others — dropping investigations of Israeli leaders over the Gaza war and formally ending an earlier probe of U.S. troops over their actions in Afghanistan — Washington may penalize more ICC officials and could sanction the court itself, the official said. … ICC judges issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli defense chief Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri last November for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict. In March 2020, prosecutors opened an investigation in Afghanistan that included possible crimes by U.S. troops.” (12/10/25)
- Musk’s SpaceX “preparing for flotation that could value it at over $1 trillion”
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“Elon Musk’s space exploration company SpaceX is preparing to list on the stock market next year in a move that could raise more than $25bn (£19bn) and value the business at more than $1tn, according to reports. SpaceX, which designs, builds and launches rockets, is said to have started discussions with banks about an initial public offering (IPO). It could join the stock market in about June or July, according Reuters, which cited an unnamed source familiar with the matter. A flotation could rival the market value that the oil company Saudi Aramco achieved during its listing in 2019, which remains the biggest in history. It raised $29bn at the time, at a valuation of $1.7tn.” (12/10/25)
- Norway: Machado’s daughter accepts Nobel Peace Prize in Venezuelan opposition leader’s absence
Source: WRAL News
“Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado’s daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her mother’s behalf Wednesday, hours after officials said Machado would miss the ceremony. Machado has been in hiding and has not been seen in public since Jan. 9, when she was briefly detained after joining supporters in a protest in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital. … Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee, told the award ceremony that ‘María Corina Machado has done everything in her power to be able to attend the ceremony here today — a journey in a situation of extreme danger.’ ‘Although she will not be able to reach this ceremony and today’s events, we are profoundly happy to confirm that she is safe, and that she will be with us here in Oslo,’ he said to applause.” (12/10/25)
- Your Fascist Immigration Policies
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan“Though I’m painfully aware of the ubiquity of false accusations of fascism, one glaring expression of fascism hides in plain sight all over the world: anti-immigration policies. The fascist nature of U.S. anti-immigration policies has been especially blatant this year. The Department of Homeland Security claims to have deported over 400,000 people. The vast majority of them are accused of no crime against person or property. Instead, they are being violently detained and expelled simply for breathing the air of our country without government permission — permission that is almost impossible to obtain. Even migrants who managed to get this elusive permission have had it revoked. Not because of anything they did, but simply because the government didn’t want them to keep breathing our air.” (12/10/25)
- We need to quarantine rabid government
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal“It has always bothered me how much of the news is concerned with what government is doing. In a way, I understand. When there’s a rabid dog at your door, you need to know about it. Unfortunately, talking about it doesn’t solve the problem. The rabid dog is still there, threatening us. F. William ‘Bill’ Schmidt, a man of impressive accomplishments whom I only learned about after his recent death at the age of 92, wrote: ‘Why is Government always the principal subject of public discussion? Because the existence of Government violates the Natural Rights of everyone; and everyone is struggling to understand this malevolent institution which inevitably creates conflicts and chaos.’ He was right.” (12/10/25)
- The Pandemic Revealed the Most Cowardly Society of All Time
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Filipe Rafaeli“‘It’s not time to admit that the vaccines don’t stop Covid transmission? The data is clear,’ [Alex] Berenson posted on his Twitter in August 2021. His statement was simply true. … The next day, Twitter permanently banned him. The reason given: violation of rules for spreading ‘false information about Covid-19.’ Soon afterward, it was proven that the White House had pressured social media platforms to censor numerous journalists, scientists, and whistleblowers who pointed out that the vaccine propaganda was misleading. … In the United States, freedom of speech is so deeply rooted in society that, in the name of that principle, they tolerate people marching down the street carrying Nazi flags. In other words, in the US you can walk around with one of those flags in public, but you cannot point out that there is misleading advertising about a pharmaceutical product. That crosses the line.” (12/10/25)
https://brownstone.org/articles/the-pandemic-revealed-the-most-cowardly-society-of-all-time/
- What College Taught Gen-Z Is Getting Them Fired
Source: The Daily Economy
by Laura Williams“College sought to protect students from discomfort. The economy demands they perform under pressure. The resulting collision is reshaping early-career outcomes.” (12/10/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/what-college-taught-gen-z-is-getting-them-fired/
- A stark lesson about the president’s war powers
Source: Washington Post
by George F Will“Do not expect the Constitution’s language and structure to impede what decades of presidential practices have made normal: presidents doing what they choose regarding warmaking. The current president has pushed prerogative to absurdity (e.g., defining war as something waged by suspected drug smugglers). In domestic affairs (e.g., a bogus ’emergency’ justifying tariffs; an executive order amending the 14th Amendment regarding birthright citizenship), the Constitution probably soon will restrain him. Regarding warmaking, however, the Constitution, Congress and norms are cobwebs inadequate for lassoing a presidential locomotive. So, voters are learning the Constitution’s limited ability to mitigate the consequences of their choices. Neither the language of the law (constitutional or other), nor what are now shadows of norms, can substitute for what is indispensable: an occupant of the presidency whose constitutional conscience causes him or her to distinguish the proper from the merely possible.” (12/10/25)
- The new mercantilism
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Madsen Pirie“At its core, mercantilism emphasizes using tariffs and trade restrictions to boost national exports, limit imports, and accumulate wealth or power, rather than relying on free-market trade flows to optimize global welfare. The current trade strategy of President Trump and his administration largely echoes those principles, with aggressive and broad tariffs on imports, plus reciprocal tariffs meant to penalize trade partners. Some commentators call this a new mercantilism,adapted for 21st-century global trade conflicts. It is characterized by combining tariffs, trade restrictions, and industrial policy aimed at re-shoring manufacturing and reducing dependency on rival powers. … in terms of motivation and tools, the US seems to be embracing a mercantilist trade-power strategy again, even if it doesn’t use the same rhetoric as 18th-century mercantilist states.” (12/10/25)
- The missing half of healthcare choice
Source: Niskanen Center
by Katherine Hall“In their current push for patient choice, Republicans in Congress and the administration are focused primarily on the demand side by adjusting the offerings available in the Affordable Care Act marketplace and pursuing aggressive price transparency requirements for hospitals and insurers. Together, these reform efforts aim to make patients more price-sensitive shoppers with greater direct control over their healthcare spending. This year, Republicans greatly expanded the reach of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) – tools that individuals can use to pay directly for health expenses when paired with cheaper, higher-deductible insurance plans. … these reforms often rely on a competitively responsive supply side. In reality, a worsening doctor shortage and the erosion of independent, lower-cost providers make clear that the supply side is unlikely to meet this moment for patients without similar reforms.” (12/10/25)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/the-missing-half-of-healthcare-choice
- 14th Amendment is plain on citizenry
Source: Orange County Register
by the editorial board“As a general rule, babies born in the United States of America are citizens of the United States of America. There isn’t any question about that. It’s in the Constitution, 14th Amendment: ‘All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.’ … If the president, as with any other citizen, thinks there’s a problem with some part of the Constitution, he’s welcome to lead the charge to repeal it, and with his bully pulpit he would have a better chance than most in his quest. But instead of pursuing normal legal channels, Trump on his first day back in office issued an executive order …”
https://www.ocregister.com/2025/12/10/14th-amendment-is-plain-on-citizenry/
- Creating “good rules” for AI
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff“Civilians around the world daily and easily engage with artificial intelligence, communicating with chatbot ‘therapists’ and ‘friends’ or creating realistic videos with entirely machine-generated content. Governments, meanwhile, are racing to keep up with the implications of AI – positive and otherwise – for national security and economic competitiveness as well as for citizen freedoms, privacy, and safety. The challenge centers on whether and how much to regulate this rapidly advancing and lucrative sector. And how to do so without eroding the democratic, free-market values of individual and entrepreneurial autonomy. Australia is now the first country to ban social media use for children under age 16. In July, the United Kingdom enacted age verification for accessing pornographic sites. And last year, the European Union passed an AI Act to ‘foster responsible’ development, while addressing ‘potential risks to citizens’ health, safety, and fundamental rights.'” (12/09/25)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2025/1209/Creating-good-rules-for-AI
- Trump’s presidency is crumbling before our eyes
Source: The Hill
by Max Burns“It doesn’t take a political genius to recognize that things are in free fall over at the White House. Less than a year after staffing his administration with a cadre of bumbling goons valued only for their slavish devotion to his ego, President Trump now finds himself leading a government wholly incapable of governing. Forgive my lack of surprise. … Trump’s crumbling administration is living proof that the best way to convince voters to elect Democrats is to let Republicans run things for a year.” (12/10/25)
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5640504-trump-white-house-dysfunction/
- New York Times Wants The US Military Built Up For War With China
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone“Just as the United States hits its first official trillion-dollar annual military budget, the New York Times editorial board has published an article which argues that the US is going to need to increase military funding to prepare for a major war with China. The article is titled ‘Overmatched: Why the U.S. Military Must Reinvent Itself,’ and to be clear it is an editorial, not an op-ed, meaning it represents the position of the newspaper itself rather than solely that of the authors. This will come as no surprise to anyone who knows that The New York Times has supported every American war throughout its entire history, because The New York Times is a war propaganda firm disguised as a news outlet. But it is surprising how brazen they are about it in this particular case.” (12/10/25)
- Trump Says That You Are the Problem
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman“Last night Donald Trump gave an important speech on the economy in Pennsylvania …. The event was initially touted as the start of an ‘affordability tour,’ the first of a series of speeches intended to reverse Trump’s cratering approval on his handling of inflation and the economy. A number of news analyses suggested that he would use the occasion to blame Democrats for the economy’s troubles. That was never going to happen. … to blame Democrats for the economy’s problems he would have to admit that the Trump economy has problems. … Trump and his minions seem to have come around to admitting that Americans are, in fact, unhappy with the state of the economy. But if the economy is A+++++, why don’t people see it? The problem can’t possibly lie with him — so it must lie with you.” (12/10/25)
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/trump-says-that-you-are-the-problem
- Stop Trump’s Murder Spree, Could Also Stop War With Venezuela
Source: Common Dreams
by Michelle Ellner“The first US missiles that struck the boats in the Caribbean in early September 2025 were described by Washington as a ‘counter-narcotics operation,’ a sterile phrase meant to dull the violence of incinerating human beings in an instant. Then came the second strike, this time on survivors already struggling to stay afloat. Once the details emerged, however, the official story began to fall apart. Local fishermen contradicted US claims. Relatives of those killed have said the men were not cartel operatives at all, but fishermen, divers, and small-scale couriers. … Maritime workers noted what everyone in the region already knows: the route near Venezuela’s waters is not a fentanyl corridor into the United States.” (12/10/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/boat-strikes-venezuela-war
- Militarism Without Strategy: How the 2025 National Security Document Institutionalizes Perpetual Conflict
Source: Antiwar.com
by Peter Rodgers“On December 4, 2025, the Trump administration released a document claiming to herald a ‘Golden Age of Peace;’ yet a careful reading reveals an entirely different picture: a roadmap for institutionalizing chronic militarism and perpetuating conflict in a new form. The new U.S. National Security Strategy portrays Trump as the ‘Peace President’ who has allegedly ‘chieved peace in eight global conflicts,’ yet the same document simultaneously authorizes the use of ‘lethal force’ in other countries, the expansion of military deployments at borders, and the weaponization of economic tools. This apparent contradiction is not accidental; it is part of a structural logic that links claims of non-interventionism with the reality of expanding military dominance.” (12/10/25)
- Madeira: Europe’s Forgotten Miracle
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Cláudia Ascensão Nunes“In 1978, a tiny, dirt-poor Atlantic island of 250,000 souls decided to do the one thing Brussels now treats as heresy … It cut its corporate tax rate to the bone and built Europe’s last genuine special economic zone. And now, 47 years and countless European Union investigations later, that same island shows the opposite of decline: its GDP has quadrupled since 1995; it has narrowed the gap with the European average by more than 20 percentage points; unemployment in recent years has fallen below mainland levels; and its 5% corporate tax regime has been legally renewed until 2033. No oil. No tech miracle. No massive subsidies. Just lower taxes and the freedom to keep the money you earn. This is the story Europe’s central planners don’t want you to hear.” (12/10/25)
- The Gratitude Prescription: Lessons from Steve Jobs and Everyday Life
Source: Mindset Shifts
by Barry Brownstein“Is it just the long lines that make trips to the post office or DMV so unpleasant? The reality goes deeper. In many states, a significant number of government employees act as though they’re doing you a favor by helping you. These workers seem to find no meaning in their work, and they stubbornly refuse to allow any joy into their workday. Passion for our work develops from our commitment to being good at our job. Those who would rather be idle because they feel no passion are deluded about cause and effect. In contrast to experiences at government offices, market transactions are shaped by mutual benefit — each participant values what they receive more than what they give. This interdependence naturally fosters a sense of gratitude.” (12/10/25)
https://mindsetshifts.substack.com/p/the-gratitude-prescription-lessons
- How misreading Somali poverty led Minnesota into its largest welfare scandal
Source: Fox News
by Howard Husock“The billion-dollar pandemic-era social service billing fraud perpetuated mainly by Somali immigrants in Minneapolis is shocking in its scale. That Minnesota public officials would have turned a blind eye to one of the largest state welfare scandals in American history, for fear of being viewed as racist, should surprise no one. For years, the state has wrongly convinced itself that its Black residents suffer from a deeply racist past. Progressives made a key error, confusing the situation of new immigrants who happen to be Black Africans with those who are the descendants of American slaves. But they were sure they had to correct the past with dramatic policy changes. This under-appreciated story began with what seemed to be an alarming 2019 investigation by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that labeled Minnesota ‘one of the most racially inequitable states’ — a conclusion based on a poverty rate four times higher for Blacks than Whites.” (12/10/25)
- From Doxxing to Dot.Gov: the White House Has Set Up a Taxpayer Funded Enemies List
Source: CounterPunch
by Laura Flanders“Doxing, swatting, bogus FBI calls, stalkers live-streaming outside their homes — it used to be marginal maniacs who saw journalists as targets to be neutralized. Now it’s the President. A government that pardons violent insurrectionists, guts research on far‑right terror, and redirects agents from tracking neo‑Nazis to hunting immigrants is turning its full weight on the people who dare to report any of it.” (12/10/25)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/12/10/from-doxxing-to-dot-gov/
- Gracearchy with Jim Babka, episode 146
Source: Gracearchy with Jim Babka
“The Self-Hating Tea Party vs Thomas Massie.” (12/10/25)
- So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, 12/10/25
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
“FIRE answers your questions.” (12/10/25)
https://www.thefire.org/news/podcasts/so-speak-free-speech-podcast/fire-answers-your-questions
- Free Parking Isn’t Free. Black Market Entrepreneurs in Guatemala Have a Solution.
Source: Reason
by Katarina Hall“A functional market without a master plan.” (12/10/25)
- The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 12/10/25
Source: The New Republic
“Trump Erupts in Fury as GOPers Humiliatingly Defy His Plot to Rig 2026.” (12/10/25)
https://newrepublic.com/article/204217/trump-erupts-fury-gopers-humiliatingly-defy-plot-rig-2026
- Undethrow Podcast, 12/10/25
Source: Underthrow
“Open Letter To Gen Z Men.” (12/10/25)